PNN – The spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that New Delhi’s negotiations with Iran and the United States regarding Chabahar Port are continuing, and regional developments and conflicts have added to the complexity of these consultations.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, said in a statement on Monday: This issue is being discussed with Iran and the US. Obviously, the current conflict is also a complicating factor.
New Delhi signed a 10-year deal with the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization in 2024, seeking to develop Chabahar as an alternative gateway for shipping goods to Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing rival Pakistan. The United States granted India a sanctions waiver to operate at the port in 2018. The waiver was revoked in September 2025, but after lobbying by New Delhi, the country was granted a waiver until April this year.
Bloomberg News reported earlier this month, citing people familiar with the matter, that officials had hoped to extend the sanctions waiver, but rising tensions between the United States and Iran have become a complicating factor.
The report said that India is now considering a range of options. India does not intend to completely exit the port, as there are plans to expand connectivity at the port through a rail line.
New Delhi is seeking to balance its ties with Washington with its long-standing ties with Iran. Trump’s belligerence against Iran since February has added a new layer of complexity to US-India relations. Trump has ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to force Tehran to the negotiating table. India is heavily dependent on energy supplies through the strait and has been negotiating separately with Iran to allow oil tankers to pass through it safely.